Harlem’s own Smoke Dza’s new album “Rugby Thompson” opens with the title track underneath a smooth Bobby Womack sample of Across 110th St. Classic Smoke shows he hasn’t changed with chuckle-worth metaphors such as:
“Jetting on these monkeys, like I’m FOCUSED playing Temple Run”
It’s a smooth song that shows us that Harry Fraud, album producer, is working with a fully loaded chamber.
In Baleedat, Smoke enlists the help of Curren$y, as they trade stories of dating married women. Saying recklessly cool lyrics like:
“I’m just leasing your girl, you can have her right back……
“She cook good, and get WAYYY HIGH/ I can see why you love her….Baleedat”
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Though the album does have some missteps (Ashtray, and Lo Horseman), it doesn’t mean that there isn’t some tried and true lyrical storytelling. In Playground Legend, Smoke tells the story of a”contender”, a kid who makes bad decisions and ends up in prison. The kid had untapped potential:
“Could’ve went to the A, and got him a max deal/ Now he rotting inside, got him a max bid”
On Turnbuckle Music, NY local legends Action and Smoke flex their muscles over a beat that has an underground legend type feel to it. Rivermonts is an EPIC reflection of Smoke’s life:
“If I die today remember like Ralph Lauren/ In a denim supply jacket, and bucket looking Harlem”
Just caught a lick, blew my profit on my closet/ Scavenging the store, ain’t see nothing I ain’t buy yet./ DAMN SHAME.
Another heater on the album is Kenny Powers, and it can make any house party jump off when you drop this joint.
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If you’re a fan of Smoke then you know what to expect: solid rhymes and features, with loads of weed references. Like most Smoke projects, you usually only hit the skip button once, or twice, which is great nowadays compared to many albums being dropped lately.
Click the album cover to purchase it.
Rugby Thompson Tracklisting:
1. Rugby Thompson
2. New Jack
3. Baleedat (ft. Curren$y)
4. Playground Legend
5. Ashtray (ft. Domo Genesis & ScHoolBoy Q)
6. F**k Ya Mother (ft. Sean Price)
7. Game 7 (ft. A.$.A.P. Twelvyy)
8. Kenny Powers
9. Turnbuckle Music (ft. Action Bronson)
10. Rivermonts
11. Lo Horsemen (ft. Thirstin Howl III, NymLo, Meyhem Lauren)
12. The Prelude To Judgement Day
